Former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, has said he has no regrets chairing the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to probe suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu.
Justice Salami made the declaration on Tuesday in reaction to some media reports that he now regrets heading the probe panel.
Some section of the media had quoted two lawyers representing Magu, who is being investigated for alleged corruption, as saying that Salami expressed regret over his acceptance of the assignment during proceedings last week.
In a statement titled, “Magu Panel, I Never Regret My Appointment,’ Salami, however, noted that the reports of his purported expression of regret were nothing but barefaced lies.
The statement read in part: “No claims can be further from the truth than the outright falsehood contained in the said report.
MAGU’S PROBE PANEL – I NEVER REGRET MY APPOINTMENT
“The reports were a figment of the wild imagination of the reporter, the two lawyers quoted as his sources and the medium that published the story.
“There was no time anything near the unthinkable scenario painted in the false story occurred in any meeting between myself and the lawyers to Magu or any other person, for that matter, since the Judicial Commission of Inquiry began its sittings.
“l have no cause to express any regret over my chairmanship of the Commission, not to talk of betraying any form of emotion before anyone about it.
“I see my appointment to serve as the Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry as an honour and call to service, thus my decision to accept diligently and patriotically discharge this responsibility.
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“I have never appointed any of the two lawyers or any other person(s) to speak on my behalf as I can express myself without recourse to the lawyers of the persons we are probing.
“As an eminent jurist, who retired as the President of the Court of Appeal, I have handled much more complex cases than the current one before the Commission.”
“There is no doubt that the false reports were aimed at causing mischief and tarnishing my hard-earned reputation and integrity.
“I remain resolute and committed to the service of the nation and ready to champion the ideals of justice and fairness.
“I want to state here that these type of lies and blackmail will not deter me and other members of the Commission from discharging our duty conscientiously.”
He urged Nigerians to disregard the falsehood contained in the viral report.
